JOHN TERRENCE ROURKE

1945 to 2020

A taste for adventure

John Terrence Rourke—a man with tremendous financial acumen, a sparkling wit, and a taste for adventure—passed away from complications of COVID-19 at North Kansas City Hospital, MO, on Friday, November 27, 2020. He was 75.

Born September 23, 1945, in Wilmington, DE, to John A. Rourke, Jr. and Regina (McCollum) Rourke, John was the oldest of seven children. He and his four brothers and two sisters were raised in a rowdy, close-knit, Irish Catholic family and remained close all their lives.

In John’s early years, due to his father’s work as a pioneer in computer programming technology, the Rourkes moved to several states before settling in Omaha, NE, where John attended Cathedral High School and played on the football team. Following graduation in 1964, he joined the US Army and served as a paratrooper for the 82^nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina from 1967 to 1971.

John and his BSA

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LINDA JEAN SCHMIDT

1950 to 2020

Valued literacy, giving, and her brood

Linda Jean Schmidt, a devoted teacher and nurse, passed away of lung cancer in Las Vegas, NV, on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020. Her husband of 52-years, John Francis Schmidt, and daughters Jennifer Ann Arias and Susan Schmidt Gunn were at her side. Shown above with Toby and Midnight, she was 70 years old.

Linda valued literacy, supporting her community, and her beloved brood—which included her many dogs! Throughout her life, she lived and worked all over the world, but Las Vegas was her home for over 40 years.

The travel bug bit early

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MARYLEE CHIPMAN

January 5, 1938 to September 16, 2020

She was “fierce”

Marylee Chipman was a breathtaking beauty of passionate values and tremendous heart whose world revolved around family and a few close friends. When it came to Marylee’s singular personality, however, her granddaughter Lexi Chipman described her best with a single word:

Fierce.

“She was fierce in the way she loved her sons,” Lexi said as she read her final letter to her adored grandmother at a moving outdoor ceremony at Forest Lawn on Sept. 25^th, “…fierce in the way she protected her granddaughters… fierce all the way down to her fiercely red lipstick.”

The tribute was organized by Marylee’s son, Matthew Chipman, after his mother passed away peacefully at Aegis Assisted Living in Granada Hills on Wednesday, Sept. 16^th.  She was 82.

“We will meet again”

Fortunately, Matt, his wife Amy, and their three daughters, as well as Marylee’s brother, Eric Matthews, and his wife, Judy, were permitted to visit Marylee and express their love two days before she died. Her brother John Caster and wife Karen visited via Zoom.

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RONALD WAYNE CULVER

September 6, 1961 to August 21, 2020

His Silver Wings

Ronald Wayne Culver—a musician, truckdriver, proud father of twins and grandfather of nine—passed away on Friday, August 21st, in Stockton, CA. He was just 58.

Ronnie, as he was called, was as fast with a retort as he was with a smile. His love of Country Western music led him to form his own band, Silver Wings. He loved playing bass guitar with his group at weddings, bars, and special events far into the night. Later in life, when health problems caught up with him, he took to karaoke, hopping from one karaoke establishment to another to sing his heart out.

The second of three children, Ronnie was born on September 6, 1961, in Stockton, to Harold Wayne Culver and Otoma Florence Smith, a housewife. Harold wore many hats: pilot, NASCAR-qualified driver, Sergeant in the Korean War, and owner of HR Transportation, a trucking company. The “H” in HR stood for Harold, the “R” for Ronald, a father and son business. Continue reading “RONALD WAYNE CULVER” →

ALICE BENSON

August 2, 1935 to August 15, 2020

She relished life

Alice Benson—a doting mom, excellent cook, and enthusiastic sports fan—passed away from a rare form of liver cancer on Saturday, Aug. 15^th, in Goodyear, Arizona, her children at her side.

She was 85.

Frosted brown hair framing a gorgeous face in her younger days (as shown above), Alice relished life and never wasted a precious second. Whether diving into a swimming pool, preparing a gourmet dinner, or playing den mother to her two sons’ Boy Scout troops, she did it with flair and enthusiasm.

The first of five children, Alice was born Aug. 2, 1935 in Albany, New York to Theresa Rock Smythe and Francis Smythe. There followed two sisters Pat and Cathy, and two brothers, Jimmy and Allan.

The Love of her life

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